New Photos

You can see new photos of the children at the Center by going to "About Us" and clicking on "Siping Center Photos" or just CLICK HERE. The children are all looking very healthy despite the cold weather in Siping. The temperature there today was 1 degree fahrenheit.

CCAA Increases Orphanage "Donation"

The CCAA has sent a notice to all agencies that they are increasing the $3000 orphanage donation. This is referred to as a "donation" but it is actually a required fee paid by all adoptive families. It is now being set at 35,000 RMB which at the current exchange rate (6.8812 to 1) is approximately $5086. This increase is required of all families traveling after January 1, 2009 and must be paid in RMB not dollars.

The entire letter from the CCAA can be seen in our Members Area in the Documents section. Just log in or register if you have not registered, then go to the Documents section, and click on public shared files.

New Child at the Center: October 28, 2008

Zhang Yu has just arrived at the Center today from the Siping Orphanage. The orphanage says she has brain damage and is not developing properly. Since she has not had a complete medical exam we do not know exactly what her problem may be. You can see more about Zhang Yu by clicking here.

There is another baby at the Siping Orphanage that we will be bringing to the Center as soon as his fever goes down. With the flu season coming on we do not want to bring a child into the Center that might infect all the other children.

As always we need your help to support these children. You can be a part of their success by going to the Donate section in the menu above. We thank you all for your support of the Center, the nannies who care for the children, and the children that need our help so much.

Dick and Cheryl Graham

Zhang Qi - He Will Be Missed

I have started this "letter" several times now; I just can't seem to find the right words. There is no easy way to tell those of you who have followed Zhang Qi's remarkable recovery from the malnutrition that nearly claimed his life as a tiny baby. Our "miracle baby" QiQi has passed away.

QiQi came to our Center on November 29, 2007, after Hannah had asked his orphanage director how he was doing. Hannah knew he was at the orphanage, but had not seen him, and the director had not asked for our help. The director said he could not eat and was not doing well at all, so Hannah sent one of the nannies over right away. She was shocked at what she found. QiQi was so malnourished that every rib could be seen. She called Hannah, and they decided to take him right then and there. After several days at the hospital, and many tests, Dr. Frank found that the feeding problem was simply that the orphanage staff was not taking the necessary time to feed a small baby with a cleft lip and palate. It just took too long, so they did not do it. He had been slowly starving to death.

QiQi came to live at our Center, where he received all the formula he could hold and all the love the nannies could give. And love him they did. It was decided to wait until he had more weight on his little body to plan his cleft lip repair. Last May, he was big enough. But he began having seizures...some were intense enough that he would stop breathing for a while. He was sent to the hospital for a CT scan in late June, which revealed some fluid around his brain, but not enough to require a shunt. Medications slowed the seizures, and everyone waited and watched. QiQi seemed to be better.

On October 9, he began having seizures with a fever. By the 11th, the fever continued, even with medication and he had six seizures that day. Dr. Frank sent him to the hospital where a CT scan showed a congenital abnormality of his brain. On the 12th, the fever continued. And on October 13, the seizures began again and little QiQi passed away at 10:00.

QiQi always reminded me of Gandhi. In every photo he looked old, wise, and very thoughtful. It was as if he knew so much that he wanted to tell us, if only he could. The nannies said he never smiled on his own. But they said he brought them peace, strength and confidence day after day. This tiny boy will never know how many lives he has touched....and how many hearts have been broken by his death.

Cheryl Graham